Writing instruments



Aug. 15, 1961 K. PARKER WRITING INSTRUMENTS Filed Sept. 11, 1957 INVENTOR. NEiH DARKEIQ i WW [Fm (G50 11 ATTY U i d rates Patent 2,996,044 WRITING INSTRUMENTS Kenneth Parker, Janesville, Wis., assignor to The Parker Pen Company, Janesville, Wis., a corporation of WIS- consm Filed Sept. 11, 1957, Ser. No. 683,288 1 Claim. (Cl. 120-42) This invention relates in general to writing instruments and in particular to such writing instruments, for example, as nib-type pens with special grips, wherein the rotational orientation of the writing point about the longitudinal axis of the grip of the instrument is critical.

This invention provides a directional grip member and pen combination enabling the user of the instrument to quickly adjust said rotational orientation to his own individual satisfaction for each one of a variety of different writing or drawing purposes so that for each dilferent purpose the writing point may be positioned to a different position rotationally relative to the grip member to the best advantage with respect to'the surface of the paper and with respect to the users hand and gripping digits.

The invention provides a very positive directional grip which, by means of plurality of circumferentially spaced and axially displaced digit-engaging deformations, positively directs the users gripping digits to a fixed position on the grip. The grip is arranged to be positively locked against rotation relative to the nib, unlocked and manually rotatable relative to the nib, and re-locked in the position thus obtained.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a directional grip means positively positioning the users gripping digits into a comfortable writing grip position fixed rotationally relative to the writing point, and adjustable to rotationally orient said fixed position.

Another object is to provide such means wherein the adjustment of said fixed position rotationally relative to the writing point can be made quickly and can be made with complete assurance that the desired adjustment will be obtained.

It is a further object to provide such means wherein any adjustment, once made, remains unchanged until another and different adjustment is made.

Still another object is to provide a device of the type described wherein either the gripping member, or the writing point, or both, are easily removed and replaced.

Other objects and advantages will appear from a consideration of the following description when read in con junction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a writing instrument embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of the instrument shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the instrument shown in FIG. 1.

The writing instrument shown comprises three principal partsra barrel body 8, a writing point unit 14, and a grip member 18, all easily assembled and disassembled. The barrel body 8 and writing point unit 14 together form a support means for the grip member 18. The barrel body 8 has a main rear portion 9 and a forward reduced portion 10 forming therebetween a forwardly facing shoulder 12. A barrel band 13 may be placed between forwardly facing shoulder 12 of the barrel body and the rearward end of the grip member, although this is not essential to the invention. The writing point unit 14 includes a pensecton member 1'5, having fixed therein a feeder 17 and a nib 16. The reduced portion 10 is threaded, as at 11, to the writing point unit.

The grip member 18 is disposed about the reduced forward portion 10 of the barrel body and about the pensection member 15, and is disposed thereabout loosely enough for easy rotation thereabout except when locked against rotation as hereinafter explained.

The grip member 18 has, on the exterior thereof, first and second circumferentially spaced digit-engaging deformations 19, 211. These diametrically opposed deformations provide means for receiving the users digits and directing them into a comfortable position for writing and into a position rotationally fixed relative to the writing point. For extra comfort and for further providing positive directional orientation of the users digits, one of the deformations extends further forwardly than the other; the usual manner of gripping use being that the forefinger of the user is placed in first deformation 19 (extending further forwardly) and the thumb in second deformation 20. Just the opposite is true for some users; where the thumb enters deformation 19 and the forefinger rests in deformation 20. Other users place still other combinations of digits in the deformations in various ways personally preferred. The grip member serves equally well for left-handed and right-handed users. In any event, the directional aspect (of directing the digits to a fixed position relative to the writing point) is accomplished.

Pensection member 15 of the writing point unit, at the reduced rearward end thereof, is threaded to the barrel body (at 11) and has a rearwardly facing shoulder 23. Projecting internally from grip member 18 is a flange 24, engageable with shoulder 23 when the threaded engagement is tightened. Shoulders 12 and 23, in combination with the threaded engagement between the barrel body 8 and the writing point unit 14, provide means for positively locking the grip member 18 against rotation, and unlocking it to permit rotation. The grip member is thus disposed about the barrel body and writing point unit for easy rotation thereabout except when locked against rotation by being tightly held between shoulders 23 and 12.

The forward end of the grip member is provided with a series of circumferentially spaced index markings comprising line markings 21 and numerals 22 identifying said line markings. Instead of the numerals 22, letters or other symbols could be used. These index markings are for use in aligning an index marking 16a on nib 16 with any one of the markings 21. The index markings 21, 22 and the index marking 16a provide indexing means for obtaining the desired rotational orientation for each different writing or drawing purpose, as personally preferred, which by experience is remembered by number or by other symbol, and thus the desired setting is obtaied with complete assurance of obtaining the same.

When it is desired to rotate the grip member relative to the writing point unit, one merely loosens the barrel body and the writing point unit connection (on the threads at 11) to thereby unlock the grip member 18 from shoulders 12 and 23 to permit the grip member to be rotated about the writing point unit and barrel body, and then rotates the grip member about the writing point unit to the desired position, aligning marking 16a with a numberidentified desired marking 21. Then, holding the grip member and the writing point unit relatively rotationally fixed at the obtained desired position, one tightens up the threaded connection to thereby lock the grip member between shoulders 12 and 23 to prevent undesired rotation of the grip member.

The Writing point unit, by virtue of the threaded engagement with the barrel body, is completely separable therefrom permitting the writing point unit and the gripping member to be removed. This enables easy replacement of the writing point unit with another incorporating a different size or style of nib. This also enables easy replacement of the grip member with another of a different contour or size.

The arrangement disclosed thus functions not only to provide easy and sure selectivity of various grip-writing point rotational orientations, but also to provide easy exchangeability of grips and/ or writing point units.

I claim:

A writing instrument comprising a barrel body having a main rear portion and a reduced forward portion forming a forwardly facing shoulder therebetween, a feed bar-and-nib writing point unit having a front portion and a reduced rearward portion forming a rearwardly facing shoulder therebetween, said reduced rearward portion of said writing point unit being in threaded engagement with said reduced forward portion of said barrel body, and a generally cylindrical tubular grip member having a plurality of circumferentially spaced digit-engaging deformations therein, said grip member being disposed between said shoulders and about said writing point unit and said forward portion of said barrel body for rotation thereabout except when locked against rotation between said shoulders when the threaded engagement is tightened, said grip member and said main rear portion being of the same diameter and forming a continuous flush eontour, said nib having an index marking thereon, and said grip member having a plurality of index markings thereon spaced circumferentially thereabout extending completely around the periphery thereof at the forward portion thereof adjacent the index marking on said nib, and a plurality of symbols disposed on said grip member adjacent said plurality of index markings and identifying them to enable close visual alignment of said grip memer and nib markings for accurately setting, changing, and re-setting desired relative rotational positions of said nib and said grip member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 206,950 Jefiery Aug. 13, 1378 291,723 Halsey Jan. 8, 1884 878,004 Iahn Feb. 4, 1908 1,087,425 Bergman et al Feb. 17, 1914 2,565,667 Simoni Aug. 28, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 946,616 France Dec. 27, 1948 673,480 Great Britain June 4, 1952 

